Button.



R, C. BRADLEY.

BUTTON.

APPLICATION FILED 050.19. I914.

1 1 MAW Patented Dec. 11, 1915.

" WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS RICHARD C. BRADLEY, OF SHREVEJ PORT, LOUISIANA, ASSTGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 FRANCIS S. BARBINGER,

0F MONROE, LOUISIANA.

BUTTON.

Specificatiomof Letters Patent. r Patented Dec. T ll, THlllfi.

Application filed December 19, 1914. Serial No. 878,073.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I; RICHARD C. BRADLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ofShreveport, in the parish of Caddo and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in But tons, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in buttons and its consists in thecombination, construction, and arrangementherein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a button which can bereadily covered by a piece of cloth without "the necessity ofusing a special machine for covering the same.

A further object of my invention is to provide a button of the type described which is simple in construction and which therefore is cheap to manufacture.

A further object of my invention is to provide a button of the type described in which the assembling of the parts stretches the cloth covering tightly into place. i

A further object of my invention is to provide a button of the type described in which the covering of the button may be accomplished in a minimum of time.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be par- J ticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, in which:

Figure 1 is a plah view of-a button constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 .is a section through a modified form of the button. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view 'of the split ring which holds the button covering in place.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a mold which is preferably of the shape shown in Fig. 2. This consists of a circular disk 1 ,having laterally and inwardly ex tending flanges 2 terminating in an out wardly bent portion 3. T have shown the plate 1 as being provided with stamped out portions 4 and 5 respectively. The edges of these portions, as will be seen from Fig. 2, are bent t ward each other, while from Fig. 6 it will be seen thatthe stamped-out portions are bent away from the main plate 1 1n arcuateshape to formthe loop or shank by means of which the button may be 'secured to the garment. -Asa part of each button, I make use of a split ring 6 like that shown in Fig. l. This ring is made of resilient material so as to hold the button covering in place in themanner hereinafter described. The exterior portion of the button consists of a ring of the shape shown in Fig. 2. This ring has a body portion 7 which is preferably fiat on one side as shown at 7 and which is curved on the opposite side as shown'at 7 toward the side 7". The inner side of the ring is tapered to conform to the inwardly extending flange 2 of the mold.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. When it is desired to cover the button with goods to match a. garment, a small piece of the.

goods 8 is placed on the outer surface of the mold 1 and the edges of the goods are bent around and folded over the flanged portions 2 and 3, the edges of the cloth be ing tucked in so as to extend toward a common center. The split ring 6 is now forced into the position shown in Fig. 2 and on expanding tends to force the edges of the cloth up into the angular portion 1 between the fiat surface of the plate 1 and the flanges 2. This draws the cloth 8 down tight upon the outer surface of the mold. The outer circular portion 7 is now placed underneath the covered mold and the latter is forced downwardly, the cloth covered portion 3 of the mold springing in under the inner edge of the flat side of the circular portion 7. The button is now complete. When it is desired to remove the cloth covering from the mold, the outer circular a plate having a flat surface 1' which is provided with laterally and inwardly curved flanges 2. The central shank 5' is v Q I into the mold is so shaped as to leave a recess into which the spring ring may force a portion of the cloth so as to stretch it tight over the outer surface of the mold.

This button is exceedingly simple in construction and doe" not require the use of a special machine to cover. the button with cloth to match agarment. Anyone can cut out a piece f loth and cover the button in a very sho time. When the button is covered there is no danger whatever of the parts becoming separated, while on the other hand the parts maybe easily separated if desired and the button may be recovered as often as necessary or desirable. Another feature to which I desire to call particular attention is the fact that in the preferred forms of the device the \fabric covering extends around the edge of the flange so that when the button is used it brings fabric against fabric, that is to say, it brings that portion of the button covering which extends around a flange against the fabric of the garment to which thebutton is attached. There is therefore no danger of the wearing of the garment, such as would occur if metal parts of the button should come in contact with the garment as is often the case with fabric covered buttons.

I claim:

1. A button comprising a main mold member having a body portion and being provided with a flange extending laterally and inwardly, a fabric covering for said main mold member extending on the outer surface thereof and around the flange and into the space between the flange and the body portion of the main mold member, a spring ring arranged to engage the edge of the fabric to force the same into the space between the flange and the main mold member, thereby stretching the fabric, and an outer portion secured to said fabric covered flange.

2. A button comprising a main mold member having a body portion and provided with an integral flange extending laterally inwardly and then outwardly, a fabric cov-.

ering arranged to extend on the outside of the body portion thence around the flange and into the 'space between the body portion and the flange, a spring ring arranged to engage the'edge of the fabric so as to force the latter into the space between the body portion and the main flange thereby stretching the fabric, and an annular member surrounding said flange and held in position by the spring tension thereof.

RICHARD C. BRADLEY. 

